Selection Report 01

YANMAR AGRI JAPAN CO., LTD.

Report on the selection of Kyushu area representatives aiming for nationals

Yanmar Agri Japan Co., Ltd. is a company that provides products and services on agriculture. In Japan, the number of agricultural workers is decreasing year by year, and the cultivating area per capita is increasing. Therefore, we wish an easier farming for a longer time with smart farming that utilizes ICT, such as introducing agricultural machinery. We have systems in place to provide optimal services promptly, such as “Smart Assist” to watch over the agricultural site, “Dr.AGRI” equipped with tools essential for agricultural machinery maintenance, “Remote Support Center” to monitor the condition of agricultural machinery 24 hours a day, and “Agri Support Center” with large machine maintenance factory.
For the Service Awards, a total of 3 people were selected, 1 from the technical employees of the 6 branch offices and 2 from the logistics and maintenance departments. Here, we would like to introduce a Service Contest that selected the technical employee nominees held at the Kyushu branch office.
*This selection was held in 2020.

On the left is a vehicle called Dr. AGRI for instant diagnosis and repair.

Selection Flow

Branch Offices

  • A total of 3 people, including 1 selected at the national convention and 2 selected from the logistics and maintenance department, won the Service Awards!
  • From the representatives selected from each branch office, further examination is conducted and Service Awards winners are selected.
  • Representatives of each branch office who competed for technical and proposal abilities are revealed.
  • As a second qualifying round, a Service Contest is held at each branch office.
  • Conducted Yanmar’s original academic test. Out of 1,249 people, service staff who passed the reference point moves on to the second qualifying round.
  • Zooming in on the Kyushu branch final tournament!

Branch Offices

Hokkaido

Tohoku

Kanto Koshinetsu

Chubu Kinki

Chugoku-Shikoku

Kyushu

A total of 3 people, including 1 selected at the national convention and 2 selected from the logistics and maintenance department, won the Service Awards!| From the representatives selected from each branch office, further examination is conducted and Service Award winners are selected.|From the representatives selected from each branch office, further examination is conducted and Service Awards winners are selected.|Representatives of each branch office who competed for technical and proposal abilities are revealed.|As a second qualifying round, a Service Contest is held at each branch office.|Conducted Yanmar’s original academic test.|Out of 1,249 people, service staff who passed the reference point moves on to the second qualifying round.
  1. Branch office first qualifying round (Academic Test)
    Conducted Yanmar’s original academic test.Out of 1,249 people, service staff who passed the reference point moves on to the second qualifying round.
  2. Branch office second qualifying round (Service Contest)
    As a second qualifying round, a Service Contest is held at each branch office.
  3. Company Finals (Service Contest)
    Representatives of each branch office who competed for technical and proposal abilities are revealed.
    Zooming in on the Kyushu branch final tournament!
  4. National Competition
    From the representatives selected from each branch office, further examination is conducted and Service Awards winners are selected.
  5. Award
    A total of 3 people, including 1 selected at the national convention and 2 selected from the logistics and maintenance department, won the Service Awards!

Service Contest Overview

At the Yanmar Agri Japan Service Contest, in addition to the “general skill (technical part)” required of technical employees,
nominees compete in the usage skill of Yanmar's original service tool “SA-D (Smart Assist Direct)” that supports products with high functions,
and also their “service proposal skill (proposal part)” toward customers.

  • Technical part (40 min.)
    Technical capabilities to the preset conditions are examined. In addition to the basic technique, the judges score 5 check points such as accuracy and dexterity in 5 levels.
  • Proposal part (10 min.)
    The capability to respond to customers who are dissatisfied with the maintenance details and the estimated amount is judged. Judges will grade all 5 items in 5 levels, such as whether the proposal to the customer is appropriate and whether it can be explained in an easy-to-understand and logical manner.

Service Contest Report

Area representative is
elected at the Kyushu branch finals.

On Friday, November 13, 2020, the finals of the Kyushu branch selection tournament of YANMAR AGRI JAPAN Service Contest was held in the Agri Solutions Center in YANMAR AGRI JAPAN CO., LTD., Kyushu branch office.
There are 202 technical employees under the jurisdiction of the Kyushu branch office. Among them, 3 excellent technical employees who won the strict selection worked together on this day for the ticket to participate in the national competition.
Of the 3, only one can advance to the next national competition. The contest carried on with serious attention from both the contestants and the judges, and the Kyushu area representative for 2020 was decided.

Assuming daily activities, technical capabilities and proposing skills are examined.

The competition at Yanmar Agri Japan was in two parts. A “technical part” to check technical abilities and a “proposal part” to look at proposal skills in certain conversations.
“Technical part” was held outdoors. Machine troubles are to be solved technically. In addition to the normally used tools, the judges see whether they can use the functions of Yanmar’s original service system “SA-D (Smart Assist-Direct)*” for a quicker and safer repairment. Based on the examination sheet, judges score the process of finishing in time while utilizing daily knowledge.

In the “Technical part”, examination is carefully done including what kind of tool was used and how it was used.

“Proposal part” was held indoors. A role-playing system was adopted in which other Yanmar employees acted as customers and contestants served them. The point here is whether the staff is able to serve a customer dissatisfied with the estimated price so that they can understand and make a deal. Contestants provide explanations that are easy for customers to understand and convince, while presenting quotations and materials prepared in advance. It is an important examination for us to explain carefully what part of the machine needs repair and what caused it to break down, because this can lead to our trust.

In the “Proposal part”, Q&A session after the announcement was lively.

With all hope, to the nationals.

It was November... but sunny as it can be. All were sweating at the contest. During the examination, other sales staff members were also watching seriously, and it seemed that they were looking for something that they could incorporate or refer to. In addition, the judges that gathered from within the jurisdiction of the Kyushu branch office for each department are also conducting the examination sincerely with a fair eye. It was a contest where anyone could feel the unwavering passion from all the people involved.
At the award ceremony, Mr. Kanaizumi, who was last year’s winner who participated as a judge, encouraged Mr. Nakazono, the representative of the Kyushu area. “The good atmosphere of your store was shown by the words that you strongly responded to a customer in the proposal power part ‘Leave it to Yanmar’. Please do your best for the national competition.” President Sugiyama, who also participated as a judge, closed the Service Contest Kyushu branch final tournament “I think it's a lot of detailed work, but you’ve been working hard and I've learned a lot too.”

Mr. Nakazono, selected in the Kyushu area (center).
  • *Note: SA-D is the abbreviation for Smart Assist-Direct. Yanmar’s system for supporting maintenance such as managing the current state of engines and electrical systems, breakdowns, and parts replacement. Checking and operating can be done on a PC or tablet.

Contestant interview

  • Oita Northern Block Takada Branch
    Mr. Daiki YOKOTE
    It's been 4 years since I became a technical employee. Continuing from the last time, I am participating in this Service Contest. The content is different from the last time, and there is a lot to learn. If I can win the championship, I would like to share the prize with the members of the branch office that cooperated with and supported me.
  • Kumamoto Satsuma Block Miyanojo Branch
    Mr. Asahi NAKAZONO
    This was the first time I participated in the Service Contest. It was a good stimulus and study to be able to see up close the practical skills of other participants way different from mine. Actual contact with customers is the real pleasure as a technical employee, so I would like to return this experience for services to please customers.
  • Saga Block Arita Branch
    Mr. Akira NISHIKAWA
    After breaking through the qualifications, I challenged this tournament with further practice and research. I have worked for several decades, and thought I was able to make use of experience and points of reflection. There are knowledge and experience that you can gain by just participating, so I encourage people who have not yet experienced to participate actively.

Comments from Judges

YANMAR AGRI JAPAN CO., LTD. Service Business Promotion DepartmentManager - Mr. Akihito IYAMA
I have been a judge since the first contest. This year, the schedule was difficult to decide due to the influence of COVID-19, and while the preparation period was short, it was a tournament where I could feel that the technical employees were enthusiastically practicing and studying. Although there are still many improvements, Service Contest and Service Awards are opportunities to reconsider the methods of daily maintenance and communication with customers. I would like you to take pride in being a technical employee here in Yanmar with safety first and work hard.

Inquiries and Support